intellectualpropertyfandomcom-20200215-history
Conclusion
Across the pages of this relatively small wiki, a number of important topics have been explored. Hopefully the reader will walk away from their computer with new questions in mind, and a better understanding of the interaction between the media and intellectual property law. Summary All media -- whether creative or news -- is inescapably tied to the concept and laws of intellectual property. By definition, every story that a journalist writes is a form of intellectual property, owned in most cases by the company for which the journalist works. Furthermore, journalists constantly deal with intellectual property when conducting research and, in certain situations, when interviewing persons with access to sensitive information. The idea that a person can own an idea might be hard to swallow for someone born 50 years from now. If the internet and free education proliferate, it seems unlikely that guarded knowledge will be valued or seen as useful. Open source technology, Creative Commons and remixing have gained considerable support over the past couple of decades, a trend that shows no sign of reversing. After all, it is the free exchange of ideas between inventors, researchers, doctors and engineers across political and geographical borders that has led to so many of the things we take for granted today. Eventually society at large will recognize that… right? Maybe not. There’s a lot to be said about the value of competition. It is the fundamental force of nature that drives evolution and adaptation. Economically too, competition separates the strong from the weak, and rewards those with cool heads and a willingness to take risks. By recognizing information as property, societies promote competition and innovation. The Space Race of the mid-20th century is a good example of the power of good-natured (okay, maybe not good-natured but relatively unbloodied) competition between intellectual minds. It’s fair to say that competition and free exchange encourage innovation in their own ways. But might each method offer a different set of benefits for different people? Without delving too deeply into market economics or scarcity-based biology, competition tends to benefit those at the very head of the pack (in this case, those with the “best”, most marketable idea) and those who can consume or utilize the idea in some regard. In the business world, this means the big box store almost always eliminates any competing start-ups, as it has the time and funding to undercut the smaller, less established businesses. The big box corporation does well, and the consuming masses save some cash, but the smaller businesses, whose ideas and products may provide more value in the long run, never have a chance to even make a case for themselves. Bringing this back to intellectual property, we’re left with one question: do we only want to see/hear/understand the “best” (ie, most marketable) ideas, or do we want access to a range of ideas; good, bad and everywhere in between, which we can build upon and innovate without fear of legal repercussion? What's Next? The ideas I’ve presented barely begin to scratch the surface of intellectual property and its role in the media. Now I’m leaving it up to you, the audience, to critically consider what intellectual property means to humanity, and how (or if) it will coexist with an increasingly “sharing” society. Feel free to edit any of my posts for grammar, spelling, content or style. I didn’t develop these ideas myself -- and even if I did, I wouldn’t claim ownership over them. Furthermore, please contribute by adding new links (being sure to contribute to the references section), multimedia and pages. This is a remix-safe website, all I ask is that you don’t deface it or deviate too far from the original premises. References *"About." Creative Commons. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 June 2014. *"About Us." The Linux Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 June 2014. *Andy. "Hundreds of Paid Informants Help to Rat Out Software Pirates." TorrentFreak RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 June 2014. *Bell, Tom. "Intellectual Privilege | Mercatus." Intellectual Privilege | Mercatus. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 June 2014. *Chidi, George. "Sarah Palin Sued for Copyright Infringement by New Jersey Publisher." Sarah Palin Sued for Copyright Infringement by New Jersey Publisher. Raw Story, n.d. Web. 26 June 2014. *"The Chiquita Banana Story." Democracy Now! N.p., n.d. Web. 26 June 2014. *The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Musique Concrete (musical Composition Technique)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 26 June 2014. *F., G. "The Adventure of the Copyrighted Detective." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 19 June 2014. Web. 26 June 2014. *"Famous Copyright Infringement Plagiarism Cases in Music." Famous Copyright Infringement Plagiarism Cases in Music. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 June 2014. *Gidda, Mirren. "Edward Snowden and the NSA Files – Timeline." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 26 July 2013. Web. 26 June 2014. *Glavinic, Tonei. "Watergate and the Washington Post: Questionable Tactics in Service to Democracy." RSS. Student Pulse, n.d. Web. 26 June 2014. *Gorman, Robert A. "An Overview of the Copyright Act of 1976." University of Pennsylvania Law Review 126.4 (1978): 856-84. Web. *Guardian Staff. "Glenn Greenwald's Partner Detained at Heathrow Airport for Nine Hours." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 19 Aug. 2013. Web. 26 June 2014. *Little, Caroline. "Another Voice: Copyright Law Must Evolve with the Digital Age - The Buffalo News." Www.buffaloNews.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 June 2014. *Morrison, Sara. "Fox News Sues TVEyes for Copyright Infringement - TheWrap." TheWrap. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 June 2014. *''National Air and Space Museum''. Smithsonian Institution, n.d. Web. *"New Media Rights." A Citizen's Legal Guide to American Copyright Law. New Media Rights, n.d. Web. 26 June 2014. *"Remix Culture." Center for Media & Social Impact. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 June 2014. *"Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy." Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 June 2014. *Rudd, Benjamin W. NOTABLE DATES IN AMERICAN COPYRIGHT (n.d.): n. pag. Web. *Sernoffsky, Evan. "Banksy's San Francisco Legacy: High-value Art." SFGate Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 June 2014. *Sheff, Will. "Okkervil River Responds to Don Henley: Copyright Laws Kill Art." Rolling Stone. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 June 2014.